Mark (Next Generation Carter Brother #9)

CHAPTER FOUR

Freya

We have twenty more minutes before we land. Twenty minutes until I get out of this tin can and away from the infuriating man next to me.

Hour one was spent listening to him squeal every time someone moved in their seat. Hour two was spent with him talking non-stop—long after people stopped responding to him. Hour three, he took my headphones off me and refused to give them back. Hour four, he stole most of my food, and when I started to drink to blot him out, he stole that too. Hour five was spent arguing with the infuriating man about things I don’t even remember or care to. Hour six was spent fighting for the food he didn’t steal. It also involved more drink, and by cup five, I thought I was on to something: I could get him drunk enough to pass out and finally give me a moment’s peace. But it’s like the alcohol switched an on button inside of his head because he hasn’t shut up since. And when we hit some turbulence not even forty minutes ago, he gripped my hand so tight he cut off the blood from going to it. When I finally got free, he went on about being young and needing to live.

“If you could put your seatbelts on, we are preparing to land,” one of the cabin crew announces over the intercom.

She continues with her speech, so I turn to Mark. “If you touch me in any way on our way down, I will break your nose, and I will enjoy it.”

“Why are you so mean?”

“Because I’m seriously debating whether to go home to get psychiatric help,” I snap. “Do you have an off button?”

“He’s normally the calmest,” Faith admits as she leans between our two seats.

That really doesn’t soothe me since they are all crazy insane.

“It’s true,” Hayden calls back. “Be glad you aren’t sitting next to my dad.”

She has a point. He’s done nothing but talk the entire flight too. If they hadn’t already explained he’s Mark’s uncle, I would have sworn he was his dad. I’m pretty sure the flight attendant is purposely ignoring Max’s call button because he hasn’t stopped bothering them. He wanted to stretch his legs, but after a few minutes, she asked him to sit down, which didn’t go over well. Then he kept asking if he could go up front so he could see where they were going. It didn’t matter that all there is to see is sky. He acted like he was in the backseat of a car. At hour three, he had most of the plane singing Taylor Swift and Sweet Caroline. That was the exact moment when Mark took my headphones off me, so I had to listen to it. It went on for so long, I can still hear his voice ringing in my ears.

“I am going through a really emotional time right now,” Mark squeaks out. “Does that not concern anyone?”

Most of the plane answers, “No.”

“I am deeply hurt,” he remarks with a huff.

“Oh my god, will you give your gob a rest for five minutes,” I cry out. “Seriously. I can’t take much more of this.”

He turns so he’s fully facing me. “I’ve been nothing but kind to you this entire flight. I spoke to you when you had no one else to speak to. And this is how you repay me?”

“I never asked you to. I would have been happy enough to stare out the window at clouds rather than listen to you. If you had asked, I would have told you to leave me alone.”

“She really doesn’t sound like she’s obsessed with you,” Liam mutters.

“Of course she is,” Mark snaps.

“No, I’m really not.”

“Don’t lie. It doesn’t suit you,” he taunts. “You liked having someone to speak to.”

“If you were any other person, then maybe. But you aren’t. You are you,” I argue, annoyance lacing my tone. “And you never spoke to me. You’ve yelled at me the entire time.”

“I’ve been under a lot of stress,” he states, his voice pitching at the end.

“Then why did you get on a bloody plane?” I snap.

“Because it’s my sister’s honeymoon-slash-hen and stag-do,” he growls.

I want to ask why on earth she brought her entire family with her when it should be their time, but I don’t want to go off track. It took me forty minutes to get back on the last time I did. “Again, why did you get on a bloody plane?”

“My god, you are such a bitch. No wonder you are alone. I’ve done nothing to you. Nothing! But if this is how you treat people…”

I snatch my headphones off his lap as I growl low in my throat. “We’re done talking. Leave me the fuck alone.”

“Oh, because you know I’m—”

I place my headphones on, pressing play to tune him out. I may have only known him from all our interactions back at home, but I feel like I got to know him as a person during this flight. He’s more infuriating and annoying than I pegged him out to be. And for them to label him the calm one is a joke, considering most of his family act like they’ve got a screw or two loose. Not that there’s anything wrong with them. They are great people and are funny as hell. I’m known to be the loopy, outgoing one in my friend group, but even I couldn’t keep up with their hyperactive behaviour.

As for Mark, I’d rather sit with my sister and her fiancé than listen to another second of him yapping. He is maddening. No one has ever been able to get under my skin the way he has.

Thankfully, in ten minutes, I won’t have to see him again until we’re back home. Because if he ends up on the same flight home as me, I’ll book the next one out. There is no way I’m going to put up with him for another eight hours straight. Not without being arrested or sectioned anyway.

When I hear his voice screeching over the music, I turn up the volume on my iPod and stare out the window.

Nine minutes.

Just nine more minutes.

*** *** ***

I groan when I pull my suitcase off the conveyor belt and see damage to the front and back.

“Fuck!” I growl, hoping this holds until I can get a new one.

I pull out my phone and head towards the exit, weaving through the crowd to avoid bumping into someone.

There’s a text on my phone when I unlock it.

Mum: We’ve booked you a car. Driver will be outside holding a sign with your name on it.

Since I’ve just spent eight hours being tortured, I don’t message her back or call her. I just need five minutes of tranquillity before having to use what’s left of my strength being fake happy for this cruise.

A young gentleman is waiting outside, holding up a sign. I head over to greet him. “Hi, I’m Freya.”

“I take you to port. But need to wait for my friend to get food,” he explains with a heavy Spanish accent.

“That’s okay. Do I have time to go in and grab a sandwich?”

“Yes. Yes. I wait here,” he tells me, nodding.

“Would you like something?”

“No, no,” he refuses with a bright smile. “My friend get mine. We drive all day. Work.”

I nod, letting him know I understand. “Okay, I won’t be long.”

“I’ll take case,” he offers, taking it from my hand.

I hesitate for a moment before letting it go. He doesn’t seem like someone who would run off with my suitcase, so I head back inside, moving over to the food stall place near a small café. I grab a sandwich and a couple of drinks. Ten minutes later, I’m back outside in the blistering heat, greeting the two men waiting to take me to the boat.

When the new arrival opens the door for me, I smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s forty minutes to port. I’m Xavier. This is Mateo. He is training, which is why you have two of us.”

“It’s nice to meet you both. And thank you for picking me up,” I reply as I slide into the back seat.

A few minutes later, I’m taking out my sandwich, grateful the two up front don’t try to make small talk. I groan after taking my first bite.

“Hungry?” Xavier asks with amusement.

“Starving. The guy I was sat next to ate most of my food,” I reply. “Is it okay if I open the window? I need some real air.”

He chuckles. “Knock yourself out.”

I do, letting the soft breeze blow over me as I consume my sandwich. I don’t even take in the views. I just sit back, eat my sandwich, and enjoy the silence and fresh air.

I must have closed my eyes at some point because the next thing I know, Xavier is nudging me awake.

“Jesus, I’m sorry,” I grumble, letting out a yawn.

He grins, stepping back from the door so I can get out. The ship is down by the dock and it’s bigger than I imagined it would be. The people I can see standing next to it look like ants in comparison. It’s bright white with sea blue at the front, and there are people already at the top, watching others make their way inside. It’s massive, with thousands of windows and balconies.

We’re standing at the top of the hill, where a chain fence blocks the path down to the boat. The ocean beats against the wall where tourists are standing at the railings watching.

I pull back to the present when Xavier replies. “You wouldn’t be the first person to sleep after a long flight. You definitely won’t be the last.”

“Do I need to pay you or did—”

“Freya, Freya,” I hear Mum call.

I turn to see Mum and Dad walking out of a building next to where we are. “Hey,” I greet, meeting them halfway.

“How was the flight?” Dad asks, kissing my cheek.

“Long,” I breathe dramatically.

“Here is your suitcase, miss,” Xavier calls.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Thank you,” I tell him, taking it from him.

“Here is a tip,” my dad offers, giving him a fifty dollar note. “We know it was short notice so thank you.”

“You arsehole,” I hear someone roar, and I swear to God I’m hearing things.

Because that sounded a lot like the bane of my existence.

I turn, just as Mark gets shoved by a family member, knocking into my case. I watch it roll, and a scream tears out of my throat as I race towards it.

“No, no,” I cry, my pulse racing as I manage to grab the handle.

My eyes widen in horror as the zip gives way, the contents of my wardrobe spilling out into the sea below.

“Oh honey,” Mum whispers, placing her hand on my shoulder.

That’s all my clothes gone. All that is left in the zip side of my case is makeup, shower and facial stuff, a couple of bikinis, and my underwear. Everything else is gone, including my shoes.

I turn to the man who has it in for me and storm over to him, jabbing him in the chest with my finger. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Blame Maddox; he is the one who pushed me.”

“No, you did this,” I growl, shoving him again. “What are you even doing here? Why are you following me?”

“I’m boarding a ship?”

“You have got to be kidding me,” I breathe, wondering if I’ll have to serve a prison sentence here or if they’ll send me home to live out my sentence. Because I am going to kill him. I’m going to feed him to the sharks and feel no remorse.

“I really wish I was, because going by the look on your face, you are going on that boat too,” he replies, and he has the nerve to sound annoyed by it.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You need to move before I kill you,” I grit out.

“It wasn’t my fault,” he screeches, and turns his glare to the man who was fighting with him. “You can jump in at any time.”

“I’ll let you handle it,” the man whispers. “She seems mad.”

My shoulders drop. “All of my things are gone.”

“There’s a boutique across the road, sweetie. We can get you a new case and fill it up,” Mum offers.

“My son will go with you and cover the costs,” a beautiful woman states.

She can’t be his mum. She looks too young. But when her eyes land on Mark, I know she is because only a mother could scold you with one look.

“What?” he demands, outraged. “It was an accident.”

As much as I don’t want to spend another minute with him, he owes me. So I sniffle. “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”

He glances to his mum, his eyebrows dipping down. “Please don’t make me do this. She’s the one who’s obsessed with me.”

“From what me and your father overheard on the plane, I doubt that very much.”

A pretty blonde steps up with a baby in her arms, a gorgeous man right behind her. “Mark, it’s the right thing to do. How would you feel if all your clothes were in the ocean?” she tells him.

His posture relaxes. “Okay,” he agrees, before turning to me. “Then I want fifty feet between us.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s a big boat. It won’t be a problem.”

“Okay,” he snaps.

“Okay,” I snap back.

“Um, I’ll come with you,” the gorgeous blonde offers.

“I’ll go with you,” his mother offers. “Lily, why don’t you go on inside and wait for us with Jaxon?”

“She’s right. As much as I love the fresh air, we should get Rose into the shade and put some more sun cream on,” the burly man next to her states, and for some reason, he looks vaguely familiar.

Then it hits me. “Hey, aren’t you Reid Hayes’ brother?”

“Are you going to push me in the sea if I say yes?” he asks, stepping closer to the blonde bombshell.

I laugh because I get it. I’ve met Reid a few times, and each time, he managed to piss someone off by merely existing. “No. I just thought you looked familiar is all.”

I don’t reveal that my best friend has an issue with his brother. I don’t even know the reason why. I just know we hate him, and that if we ever see him, Summer forces us to walk the other way.

Mark clears his throat. “Are we getting these clothes or are we going to stand around talking?”

I spin to face him, losing my smile. “Oh, I’m sorry; am I disrupting your day?”

He tilts his head back. “Jesus Christ.”

His mum steps forward and holds out her hand. “I’m Teagan, and I’m sorry for my son’s poor manners.”

“We’re sorry about our daughter too,” Mum adds.

“I didn’t do anything,” I argue, and grit my teeth when I see Mark smirk.

“Honey, we raised you better than this. You are acting like an adolescent child.”

“This man has stolen my food,” I begin.

“We’ve already covered and proved that wasn’t me,” he adds, then turns to my parents. “She steals my post, which is a criminal offence.”

Mum gasps. “Freya.”

“I was returning it,” I snap. “He stole Mellow.”

“Who is Mellow?” Dad asks.

“My cat.”

“It broke in to my flat,” Mark argues. “Just like its owner.”

“He stole my doormat,” I add snottily, before raising my voice. “And I never broke in. It was an accident.”

As he steps closer, his dad intervenes, pushing him back. My dad does the same to me. “That’s enough, Mark.”

“Honey, give me your card,” his mum orders. “Now!”

He reluctantly hands it over as I hear my mum cluck her tongue. “Freya, it’s day one and you’re already making a scene.”

“You’re blaming this on me?” I ask.

“Honey, why don’t you just go and get a new wardrobe,” Dad offers, handing me his card. “Me and your mum will try and find a more sustainable suitcase.”

My shoulders drop at the disappointment in his tone. “Okay.”

I grab his card, hand Mum my suitcase, and leave my dignity on the floor as I follow Teagan.

And pray for the twelve days to be over quickly.